07/26/2011

Chris Bathgate Is Amazing, Needs Your Help To Continue Being As Such

I don't know if you know who Chris Bathgate is but you should. You see, I have the unfair advantage of being born and bred right in Bathgate's own backyard (The backyard of southeast Michigan, that is; not his literal backyard although that would have been weird, right guys?) so it's only natural that I adore the Ann Arbor darling as much as I do. The love for Bathgate, however, is not situational. No matter where you're from, Bathgate's darkly haunting folk tunes are sure to strike a chord of emotional resonance with you. His latest album, Salt Year, not only sits atop the running list of "Best Albums of 2011" compiled by yours truly but has also garnered a signifcant ammount of buzz from such notable sources as NPR. It's no surprise to anyone who's heard Salt Year, of course; The album is a masterpiece. From the opening confessions of "Eliza (Hue)" to the heartwrenching regret of the title track, Salt Year is as close to perfect as I've heard an album be since Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy.

Don't take my word on it, though! Check out this great review from RFC sister site Mezzic! (Fun fact: This review may have been written by me. But seriously, this is the best thing I've ever written. Ever!)

Now, kids, here's where I want to help you out. You see, Bathgate is as harrowing a performer live as his record would have you believe. So do you want to see him come to your town? Of course you do! Now Bathgate, in his infinite kindness, has made that a dream that you can achieve, all by handing over a few dollars to the Michgander's Kickstarter!

Watch Bathgate's video below and see why the singer really does deserve a Lincoln or two from your wallet.

Need more Bathgate? Of course you do! Check out his bandcamp and stream Salt Year in it's entierty before it ends up on everyone's queue at the end of twenty-eleven.